4. Experts say that, ideally, you should have an annual income in retirement that’s between 80 percent and 90 percent of your pre-retirement annual earnings.

True False Don't Know

5. I have arranged to cover health care costs during retirement until I am eligible for Medicare at 65.

True False Don't Know

6. A typical 65-year-old married couple without chronic conditions will likely need more than $200,000 to pay for out-of-pocket medical costs throughout retirement, not including nursing-home care.

True False Don't Know

7. I have estimated how much my retirement lifestyle will cost, have talked to a financial planner, and/or done a budget using a computer-based model. I'm confident I'm on track to meet my goals.

True False Don't Know

8. I do not carry credit card balances each month and regularly keep track of my spending.

True False Don't Know

9. I will have my mortgage paid off before I stop working.

True False Don't Know

10. I will have budgeted for "big ticket" items I want to enjoy in retirement — a sailboat, an RV, a new car, big trips — before I leave the workforce.

True False Don't Know

11. I have enough saved to delay taking Social Security benefits from age 62 until my full retirement age or at age 70.

True False Don't Know

12. I plan to continue to earn money during retirement and gradually scale back.

True False Don't Know

SCORING: Give yourself three points for each time you answered always, two for each usually and one for each rarely or never. If your total is:

32 to 36 — You have got the kind of marriage most experts would consider ideal. You're paying attention to all the right things: communication, affection and mutual respect. Lucky you!

24 to 31 — You figured out the difference between a good-enough marriage and a wonderful one. You're not afraid to express your true feelings because you're confident that your partner has your back.

16-23 — You may be pretty content in your relationship, but something needs attention. Are you sure you're communicating openly with one another? Are you paying attention to gestures of romance and affection that make a marriage strong? Talk to one another about areas of your relationship that need work — and get to it.

15 or below — Clearly there's a communication problem here, and maybe a few others as well. If this marriage is important to you and you can't make improvements on your own, you should consider professional counseling.

How did you do?

32-36— Whoo-hoo. You’re ready to roll. By all accounts, you’re well on your way to a retirement where you can live the life you want. You’re financially savvy and have done all the right things to prepare for your next chapter: planning ahead, running the numbers to see how much you will need, budgeting, saving consistently and investing for growth and income. People who are able to develop a plan and stick to it tend to accrue wealth. Even if you face unexpected shocks making you digress from your plan for a period of time, you’ll likely be able to weather it like a champ.

24–31 — You’ve been doing the legwork, and it shows. You’re well aware that it pays to know the basics of investing. You’ve got a grip on the big picture that lies ahead from a dollar-and-cents point of view. That said, you might need to ramp it up. The key is to take advantage of any retirement plans offered by your current employer to the max and have enough sources of retirement income to enable you to delay tapping into Social Security. That’s because, at 65, healthy people are likely to live for another 20 or 30 years. You want to be sure you have enough to keep you living in the style you envision.

16-23 — Uh-oh. If you haven’t calculated how much you will need to have saved, at least in a ballpark fashion, do so pronto. This really helps you focus on the need to save. People who run the numbers are more apt to save more and are better prepared for a worry-free retirement. Boost savings both in and out of retirement plans. Every little bit helps. Seek out advice from a pro if you’re feeling overwhelmed with investment choices. Cousin Joe might not know what’s best for your risk tolerance and retirement goals. Afterall, retirement planning isn’t personal, it’s business.

15 or below — Buck up. It looks like you’ve given little thought to retirement. Clearly you need to take responsibility and make an effort to budget, calculate, and develop a retirement savings plan. Talk to a professional financial planner. A good planner can develop an overall financial plan and advise you on the right mix of investments to meet your individual retirement goals. If you can’t make fundamental adjustments to your spending and saving patterns, plan to keep working. Lots of people have to. But that, too, takes planning. It may mean heading back for more classwork and training in the evenings or weekends, networking and spending time with people doing what you have in mind, or moonlighting.